Cyclists ready to take over the road in annual San Joaquin Bike Fest

What: A fundraiser for the Emergency Food Bank and the educational programs of the San Joaquin Bicycle Coalition featuring four rider-friendly bike routes, a festival, health fair, beer gard...

» Read more

X

2013 San Joaquin Bike Fest

What: A fundraiser for the Emergency Food Bank and the educational programs of the San Joaquin Bicycle Coalition featuring four rider-friendly bike routes, a festival, health fair, beer garden and more.

Registration: $35 for adult riders; $15, ages 11 and younger. Registration includes lunch. There is no fee to attend the fair or festival. Lunch and beverages are available for purchase.

Where: DeRosa University Center, 901 President's Drive, University of the Pacific, Stockton

Information: sjbikefest.org

» Social News

BYOB.

That's bring your own bike.

What were you thinking?

If you haven't signed up for today's San Joaquin Bike Fest, you can register this morning or skip the bike ride and enjoy live music, food, a retro bike show and Valley Brew beer.

This kid-friendly event benefits the Emergency Food Bank of Stockton/San Joaquin and helps educational programs of the San Joaquin Bicycle Coalition.

"There are four scenic bike routes. You can do one of them or link all of them together," Kimberly Maxwell, fund development director at the food bank, said. "There's a kids safety village, and there will be live music."

The band will be covering '80s hits and participants are urged to dress up in '80s-themed outfits.

"The biggest twist this year is two-fold," Tim Viall of the bike coalition said. "It's just bikes, no walkers this year. The second thing is we have a band, Pushers and Thieves. A bunch of people younger than me say they are a really good band."

Viall, who formerly served as director of the food bank, loves combining his passion for helping feed the hungry with his passion for bicycling.

The local hunger problem is not abating and fundraisers such as this help.

"Thus far, the need has not decreased; just like it was during the winter months, we still get the long lines of people waiting for help every day. However, the face of hunger has changed," Rebeca Knodt, executive director of the food bank, said. "Seventy-seven percent of the people Emergency Food Bank and Family Service helps are the working poor, most of them families, seniors, and students. People just like any of us that had good full-time jobs and due to the economic crisis lost their job and now are unemployed or only working part time to survive."

And the "Get Fit" portion of the event will feature booths with information on health and wellness.

"It's a great little event," Heidi Coffee of Central Valley/Delta Physical Therapy, one of the sponsors with a booth, said. "We hope to see more people come out."

And, there's also a way to quench your thirst that doesn't require the other kind of BYOB.